Fam, there are not enough problems in the world for any of us to have exclusivity. Whatever you're going through, I hope you can find some comfort in knowing you're not the only one. You just may not know because we've learned to endure in silence, or mask because of shame.

Think about birthdays. Yes it's your special day and the most important day to you in the world and all that good stuff. But it's you and circa 20 million other people. There are not enough days to go around. There are not enough problems to go around. You're sharing with others.

We're all just out here trying our best to appear well adjusted. Nobody, not even that person you think has their shit together, is precluded from the universal human condition. Every one of us has things they have to work through.

Imagine that there are 10 distinct categories of problems in life with each one represented by a colored ball. Health, finances, family... Nobody has all 10. Nobody has zero. We just have different combinations. And there aren't enough combinations for anyone to be exclusive.

I'll be sad, looking at my red, yellow & green balls, convinced I have the worst lot in life, oblivious of what I have going for me, lowkey thinking this other person has zero balls. Meanwhile, they are looking at their own black & blue balls thinking the exact same thing of me.

Yes, each person's problems matter to them. And I'm not saying the existence of other people's bigger or smaller problems somehow diminishes the importance. I'm saying our personal struggle feels a lot "strugglier" when we think of it as exclusive. It's not.